Various kinds of umbrellas with different functions are currently used. Generally, umbrellas include a golf umbrella (long umbrella), a two-fold umbrella, a three-fold umbrella, a fashion umbrella, a children umbrella, etc.
When a rainy wind blows on a rainy day, people usually walk under umbrellas while the umbrellas are directed to the direction in which the rainy wind blows. In this case, people cannot look in front of them, whereby they easily may have an accident. Especially when people walk across a pedestrian crossing or walk along a road shoulder at night on a rainy day when a rainy wind blows, people under umbrellas and the drivers of traveling cars cannot see each other. Furthermore, when umbrellas are black and people under the umbrellas wear clothes having dark colors, it is very difficult for drivers of traveling cars to identify the pedestrians.
According to an example of safety umbrellas for protecting people from such danger, luminous cloths have been used for the safety umbrellas.
In addition of the safety umbrellas manufactured with such luminous cloths, various technologies have been proposed for coupling a light emitting device to the cap of an umbrella.
According to an example of the proposed technologies, a battery compartment is formed in the grip of an umbrella. In this case, it is necessary to arrange an electric wire from the battery compartment to an umbrella cap or the end of an umbrella support rib through a hollow part defined in an umbrella shaft. In the case of a long umbrella, however, the manufacturing costs are increased due to the arrangement of the electric wire, and therefore, it is not economic. In the case of a collapsible umbrella (a two-fold or three-fold umbrella), on the other hand, the electric wire arranged in the umbrella shaft is bent or crushed when the umbrella is folded.
According to another example of the proposed technologies, various sensors, such as a vibration sensor, a day/night sensor, and a water sensor, are used as an on/off device for light emission. In the case of using the vibration sensor, when a certain person waits for a signal light while he/she walks under an umbrella on a rainy day, an on-and-off light or an electric-light bulb of the umbrella is turned off, with the result that drivers of traveling cars cannot identify him/her. Furthermore, the manufacturing costs are increased, and therefore, it is not economic. In the case of using the day/night sensor, when the umbrella is located in a dark area although it does not rain, and therefore, the umbrella is not in use, the light emitting device continuously emits light or blinks on and off. As a result, the power consumption is increased. In the case of using the water sensor, the light emitting device continuously emits light or blinks on and off until the wet umbrella is dried. In this way, the umbrella may malfunction. Furthermore, the power consumption is increased.
As yet another example of the proposed technologies, a light emitting device of an umbrella cap is disclosed in Korean Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 20-1996-6874, in which a case-shaped thread part having a battery received therein and a light emitter is mounted in a transparent cap such that the light emitter is turned on and off by fastening and loosening the thread part.
However, the size of the light emitting device of the umbrella cap is large. As a result, the light emitting device of the umbrella cap is adopted only for long umbrellas. Furthermore, the light emitting device of the umbrella cap is easily broken. In addition, since the light is turned on and off by fastening and loosening the thread part, water or moisture leaks through a gap in the thread part, and therefore, the battery may be deteriorated.